Sightseeing spot in Hakone
About thirty million people including overseas tourists visit to Hakone every year.
Beautiful landscapes created from Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi and Hakone mountains invite many people both from within Japan and the rest of the world. In addtion to attractive scenery, Hakone is also famous for the summer resort less than 100 kilometers from Tokyo. Lake Ashi is located at a height of seven hundreds twenty five meters above sea level, therefor the temperature of this area is five to seven degrees centigrade below than in Odawara City where in sea level.
Yumoto town, Onsen village, Hakone town, Miyagino village merged into current Hakone Town in September 1956. The population of Hakone Town is 14,500 and its area is 928 thousand square meters.
You can get toTemple Sounji through the old Tokaido Road by ten minutes walk from Odakyu Hakone-Yumoto station. The temple was originally constructed by Hojyo Ujiyasu who was the second lord in Hojyo five generation dynasty, but it was burn out in the war with Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590. Two hundred years later the current main hall was reconstructed. Tombstones of Hojyo five generation lords were at the backside of the main hall. Photo shows the main hall of the temple.
（Photo: 8/4/2006）
The Old Tokaido Road from Tokyo to Kyoto was about five hundred kilometers. The distance of Haokone Old Tokaido Road was thirty two kilometers. From Odawara to Lake Ashi was sixteen kilometers and from there to Mishima was another sixteen kilometers. The road was paved with stone in seventeenth century. The long stone pavement in original state is only Hakone Old Tokaido Road in Japan. You can get the starting point of the road about ten minutes by bus from Odakyu Hakone-Yumoto station.
（Photo: 6/30/2006）
You can see the panoramic views created from Mt.Fuji, Lake Ashi and Hakone mountains at Mt.Daikanzan. I think the view from Mt.Daikanzan is the symbolic one as Hakone. It takes about forty minutes by bus or Taxi from Odawara station.
（Photo: 3/5/2006）
Onshi-Hakone-Koen Park is located in a small peninsula of the Lake Ashi between Hakone Town and Motohakone. The park used to be served for summer resort for imperial family, later opened to the public. There are several walking courses in the Park and you can enjoy the walking and see the beutiful scenery of Lake Ashi. I recommend the 30 minutes walking of the lakeside promenade from the park to Hakone Town. From Odawara station to the park is about one hour by bus.
（Photo: 4/4/2006）
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Hakone Check Point was constructed in seventeenth century by the Tokugawa military government to check arms shipment and people who were against for government. Currently it is being reconstructed as the original state and it will be completed by spring in 2007. Please see reconstructing Hakone Check Point. Hakone Check Point Museum is also located near here. It takes about one hour from Odawara station to Hakone Check Point or Hakone Sekisho Ato in Japanese by bus.
（Photo: 4/4/2006）
Hakone-jinjya Shrine was founded by Saint Mangan in 757. You can see the big red Shrine gate in Lake Ashi. The shrine was respected by military government's commanders who held rule Japan over the year.
（Photo: 4/4/2006）
It is said the current Ohwakudani valley was born by phreatic eruption in thirty million years ago. You can see the scene rising to the sky in form of vapor in many places of the valley. The valley is a living volcano. There is the walking way from Ohwakudani ropeway station to the top of the valley where
hot-spring is flowing out. Here Onsen Tamago or Black Egg is famous for life-prolonging egg that is made from submerging in the hot spring. I recommend you buy the Haokone Golden Course ticket from Odawara station to Ohwakudani Valley, and then you can enjoy the mountain railway, the cable-car and the ropeway with beutiful landscape.
（Photo: 6/30/2006）
Hotel de Yama used to be a Mitsubishi family's second house. Mitsubishi is known as a conglomerate in Japan. At present the hotel is operated as a Odakyu hotel. There are many beutiful azaleas in the garden and reach full bloom in the middle of May. A lot of people visit the garden in flower season. You can enjoy secenery of Lake Ashi with azaleas.
（Photo: 5/17/2005）
Mt. Komagatake is at a hight of 1,357 meters above sea level, you can go from Lakeside to the summit by ropeway in six or seven minutes . You can enjoy the panoramic view including Mt. Fuji, Lake Ashi and the Hakone mountains from the summit. The altitude is very high, so it is very cool in summer season. The Photo shows the view from the summit, you can see Lake Ashi and Hokone-en Golf Course under your's eye.
（Photo: 8/19/2006）
It is said that Mt.Fuji's view from Otome Mountain Pass is the best among Mt Fuji's view in Hakone. The Pass is at the hight of 1,005 meters above sea-level, therefor you can enjoy the panoramic view of Mt. Fuji from there. The photo shows Mt.Fuji and a small chapel.
（Photo: 3/5/2006）
The best season of the Pampas Grass hill in Sengokuhara is after the middle of September to
the biginning of November. The dense pampas grass waving in the breeze on the hill is very beutiful. Hakone Botanical Gargen of Wetlands is located near here. You can get the hill forty or fifty minutes by bus from Odawara station.
（Photo: 10/14/2006）
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